Makuhari Messe I is a large-scale convention complex designed to accommodate trade exhibitions, conferences and other events, and a catalyst for the development of a new city center on reclaimed land along Tokyo Bay’s eastern fringes. Beyond satisfying a variety of functional and capacity requirements, each of the complex’s large program spaces –exhibition hall, conference center, and arena - is given a unique expression, collectively creating a festive new urbanism on this previously empty site. Technically sophisticated large-scale exterior details are combined with more human-scaled details on the interior, creating a feeling of density and warmth that belies the project’s overall capacity and size.